Countdown begins for 10th BIOVISION forum

The countdown begins with only one week to go until the life science event of the year. The BIOVISION forum is now in it’s 10^th year, hosting over 1,500 attendees from the international health care and life sciences sector. It features key players from academia, civil society and the public and private sectors. BIOVISION is organized by the Fondation pour l’Université de Lyon and will take place at the Cité Internationale in Lyon, France, on April 15 and 16.

The BIOVISION event stems from a strong desire to move beyond discussion to action in a world that is under threat from epidemics and the increasing incidence of cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Health care providers are now all expected to take a highly interdisciplinary approach that combines science and medicine with the digital. This is the reason why BIOVISION has chosen to support innovation and entrepreneurship via its wealth of programs and events. It is intended as a launch pad for promising health care entrepreneurs who own biotech, medtech or e-health companies and are seeking to establish valuable contacts with investors and industry representatives.

2015 Partner events for healthcare entrepreneurship and innovation include:

BIOVISION Next – TWAS, Wednesday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m: BIOVISION Next, developed in close collaboration with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), is a grant program that helps young scientists attend the BIOVISION forum. This year, the BIOVISION Next program will give 24 young researchers, selected by TWAS, the chance to present their projects at this special session.

The final round of Lyon Start-Up Wednesday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 5.45 p.m.: Lyon Start-Up will select the best high-potential projects to support via a pitching competition. Twice a year, 100 start-up projects are selected and given access to business training courses, workshops and networking events. They also take part in a three-round pitching competition and share a prize fund of €100,000 ($108,300). The best 20 start-ups from this first round are getting ready for the final on April 15. Prizes will be awarded the following day, followed by a networking cocktail reception.

EBE (European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises) hosting a session on Wednesday, April 15 from 2 p.m. to 3.45 p.m, EBE celebrates its 15th anniversary at BIOVISION.

The session 'Europe's Emerging Science: Putting Advanced Therapies for Better Health into Practice,' will feature Eduardo Bravo, chairman and CEO of TiGenix; Andrea Chiesi, director of R&D portfolio management at Chiesi Farmaceutici; Paolo Macchiarini, associate professor in the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology at Sweden’s Karolinksa Institute; Sander Van Deventer, member of the Board of UniQure; and Faraz Kermani from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), who will act as moderator.

The semi-finals of Tour de France Digitale, Thursday, April 16, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. A competition to discover the most innovative French start-up. The France based entrants will have been in business for at least five years, have revenues of less than €500,000 and ambitions for international expansion. The best innovative ideas will share the €500,000 ($541,400) prize. The competition involves five cities (Bordeaux, Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes and Lille) and five investors. Tour de France Digitale is organized in partnership with the French public investment bank Bpifrance and the French Tech digital mission.

Future-oriented sessions cover overall health and personalized medicine, with leading speakers:

• Professor Leroy Hood from the Institute for System Biology (USA)
• Professor Guillaume Beslon, of INRIA (Inventors for the Digital World)
• Dr Pascal Sempé, representing IBM
• Dr Alain Beaudet, chief executive of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
• Agnès Buzyn, director of INCa (France’s national cancer institute)
• Professor Peter Openshaw of Imperial College, London
• Greg Perry from the Medicine Patent Pool
• Professor Ole Petter Ottersen, president of the University of Oslo, Norway

INVESTING AND FUNDING SESSIONS:

• BIOVISION Investor Conference 2015 (IC). Devoted to funding innovative biotech, medtech and e-health care companies, the Investor Conference connects start-ups, growth companies and mid-sized businesses with financial and industry partners for a series of discussions and meetings. The IC will give 25 selected medtech and biotech companies looking for funding and industry partners the chance to present to an audience of experts, potential partners and investors. Now in its third year, this session is co-organized with Lyonbiopôle and France Biotech

• The third edition of Catalyzer will see 25 innovative projects present to a panel of experts drawn from academia, the private sector and civil society. Co-organized by Lyonbiopôle, the session will provide project owners with increased exposure and the opportunity to meet potential partners

BIOVISION also features:

• Networking and partnership opportunities via the online platform and one-to-one meeting areas on site
• A public session on 'Global and personalized health, how to ensure a worldwide benefit?' Thursday 16, from 11am to 12.30 pm